1. Field
The present invention relates to safety devices and more particularly to an escape device to be utilized for escaping from elevated levels of buildings when an emergency, such as a fire, occurs in the building.
2. Prior Art
The prior art in this field of invention is somewhat limited to escape devices comprising rope ladders, chain ladders, and the like, that are permanently attached to the outside of a building or that are attachable to a window ledge and which, in time of an emergency, can be disposed outside of the building for evacuation or escape.
Representative of the prior art are U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,235,306 to Ross et al; 3,344,886 to Boscarino; 3,415,341 to Hostetler; and 3,444,958 to McCall.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,235,306 to Ross et al discloses an emergency escape apparatus comprising a cord or rope having along its length hand-held elements, together with a window mounting support.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,344,886 to Boscarino combines with a window flower box detachably mounted on a channel-shaped structure on the outside wall of a building such as a house, an extensible ladder, in collapsed condition, inside the flower box. One end of the ladder is connected to the channel-shaped structure and the other end is connected to the flower box.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,415,341 to Hostetler discloses a stackable ladder having metal steps connected to side ropes or chains. Each step has a shape that allows a person climbing down the ladder, when it is extended from a fixed anchor at a window, to grasp a step above the person thereby assisting the person in descending the ladder.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,444,958 to McCall discloses an extensible ladder comprised of a telescoping series of interconnected ladder parts adapted to be carried in a collapsed position on a base member mounted to the outside wall of a building, and to be enclosed within a removable cover member for immediate use in an emergency.
Most of the prior art escape devices assume that a person, in an emergency, can raise a window, manipulate the escape device, and then crawl out the window and descend the ladder or rope or whatever. Since most windows in buildings are double hung, there is no way for a person acting hurriedly in an emergency to open the entire window. Having only the lower half of the window open to afford access to the escape device does not provide enough room for a person to get out of the building and place himself in position to descend the escape device. If the person is carrying a small child or a baby, it is virtually impossible to use some of the prior art escape devices. The present invention makes it easy to use the ladder type of escape device of the present invention. PG,4